SC: Non-Service affecting upgrades may need controller reset to apply firmware update

This alert pertains to upgrading Storage Center controllers. It contains specific information related to system features and or functionality.

Alert:

A Storage Center upgrade can involve upgrades to multiple components such as the Storage Center OS and or firmware for the chassis, disks, and enclosures.  Chassis firmware updates are required upgrades which occur during the boot process of a Storage Center controller and cannot be deferred.  Application of chassis updates require the controllers to reset sequentially. 

If chassis firmware updates are available, the Storage Center user interface Update Wizard may incorrectly indicate that a controller reset is not required.  The Dell Storage Manager Update Wizard only reports if an upgrade is "Service Affecting" or not and does not have a 'controller reset yes/no' field to indicate if a controller reset is required.
 

Workaround:                     

When choosing the option to "Apply updates that will not disrupt service" and click "Continue",

The following screen is displayed:

Note the listed components being upgraded.  Chassis firmware is noted with "DCIM:firmware" in the component name, similar to what is shown above. If such a component is listed, sequential controller resets are required to complete the upgrade process and an appropriate maintenance window should be planned.

See Resolution.

Dell Storage Manager 2018 R1 is targeted to include a 'controller reset yes/no' field to indicate if a controller reset should be planned for or not.  In addition, Storage Center OS 7.3.1 is also targeted to address the issue when the return of the Storage Center user interface occurs.

Affected versions:

All current SCOS versions and platforms